


5 Times Shin and Noi Almost Kissed and 1 Time Where They Did

by JubblyPippo644292



Category: Dorohedoro
Genre: Angst, Canon - Anime, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Pining, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:28:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24218881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JubblyPippo644292/pseuds/JubblyPippo644292
Summary: 5+1 with Shin and Noi! Full of violence, pining, swearing and typical Dorohedoro antics!
Relationships: Noi/Shin (Dorohedoro)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 146





	5 Times Shin and Noi Almost Kissed and 1 Time Where They Did

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to my darling partner who beta'd this work.  
> Please support the official release of Dorohedoro! (coming to global Netflix 28th May!)  
> I hope you enjoy!

1.

_"Fucker had good aim."_ Shin thought as he coughed wetly, blood spluttering down his chin at an alarming rate. Or rather, what would be alarming if he wasn't partners with Noi. Said partner was prowling the floor above, cleaning up any stragglers that may have slipped their notice during the attack. Business as usual. En points at a target for Shin and Noi to destroy, which is what they do best, together. 

Destruction was indeed what had happened on this mission, he had heard the resounding screams and thunderous booms above him as Noi went to work. She seemed to have lucked out and had the most Cross-Eye's to crush, judging by the screaming accompanied by her exhilarated voice echoing through the old stone work; _"Where d'ya think you're going?"_

Now though, it was quiet as the grave, accurate really for the bodies lining the halls. The last Cross-Eye that Shin had fought managed to scratch him across the face, grimy nails scraping through his eyes rendering him blind. If the man had been smart he would have attempted to stealthily attack Shin as he was bellowing in pain, but instead he had gloated above him, a quick flick of the wrist had the fool's body tumbling to the floor in a body bag's worth of fleshy lumps. 

Shin was kneeling on the bloodsoaked floor, almost hunched over in agony, it wasn't often he went blind on the job so the pain was unfamiliar and _biting._ A perforated lung or acidified limb he could deal with fine, but this was almost debilitating in its intensity. 

_"Not much use like this, need to get to Noi."_ Shin rose slightly attempting to head to his partner, only to keel over, skull cracking against the stone. _"Oh yeah, might have forgotten about that."_ He hastily cupped a hand over his abdomen, trying to contain his innards that so desperately wanted to slip through his fingers to _slosh_ on the floor. 

Warmth seeped through Shin's tight grasp on his intestines as he shuffled awkwardly, trying to find his feet again but the odd sensation of feeling dizzy while unable to see had him grounded.

"Noi…" Shin mumbled through a mouthful of blood, pausing to spit somewhere off to the side, hoping he hit the bastard that downed him. _"Wonder how many she got…"_ Was Shin's last thought before he passed out, or did he? It was hard to tell with the remains of his eyes trailing down his cheeks. 

Heavy footsteps lumbering down the hallway awoke Shin from his brief pain induced rest. His eyelids fluttered over empty sockets as he detachedly listened to the strangers approach. Rough hands turning Shin over had him lunging forward, grappling blindly and reaching for wrists. They tumbled over and he managed to swing his legs over the hips of his now pinned opponent. Breathing ragged, blood trickled from Shin's gasping mouth as he scrambled to grip their arms. 

A warm hand cupped his cheek. "Shin-senpai." Noi's voice was steady in the midst of his adrenaline fuelled flailing. 

Shin exhaled in relief. "Fuck, Noi, you could have warned me." His voice was rough but fond for his partner.

She patted his face patronisingly, not minding the layer of viscera coating it. "C'mon, senpai, I thought you were down for the count so I had to hurry and heal you." 

As the adrenaline faded from his system, Shin's arms trembled and his stomach shook worryingly. He wouldn't be surprised if the scuffle had dislodged more organs across Noi's torso. Across Noi. It had suddenly occurred to him the position they were in. If he wasn't suffering catastrophic blood loss, Shin was sure his cheeks would be aflame. 

The curious sensation of Noi's smoke washed over him as she propped herself up to lean close to his face, cold and comforting in equal measure. Shin could hear the sickening crunch as the crack in his skill fixed itself, the slimy pop of his eyes regrowing and the gaping wound in his stomach stitch itself back up. Not something he'd like to feel again. 

Blinking a few times, Shin rubbed his eyes carefully and looked down at Noi who was watching him with an odd expression. 

Her mask was off and there was fresh blood sliding down her cheeks, dampening her silver hair. There was a gentle pink tinge to her face and before Shin could even entertain the thought of her blushing because of him, she sat up abruptly while steadying Shin so he didn't topple onto the floor again. 

"Wait. Just, c'mere." Noi murmured as she turned his face back towards her when he looked away in embarrassment with a soft finger canted on his chin. "I missed a spot." Shin regarded her as her wine-red eyes flicked to his lips a few times until she moved closer, her cheek brushing against his and he could feel her smoke running across the tiny nick in his ear he had forgotten about. 

The pair stayed still for a moment, Noi enjoying Shin's closeness and Shin breathing in her subtle perfume, he had become accustomed to the light floral notes, until the moaning of one of his victims broke their intimate bubble. 

Shin cleared his throat but didn't move. "Guess we should start bagging and tagging now." 

Noi rubbed a thumb across Shin's back absentmindedly as she agreed. "Yeah, guess we should, senpai." She shuffled backwards, letting Shin extract himself from her lap, one last puff of smoke had his remaining injuries on the mend and he stood. With a small moment of thought, he extended his hand to help her up. Noi beamed at him and he shivered slightly at feeling her warmth again.

Neither were willing to be the first to let go, unsure of the feelings they felt towards their partner and Shin spoke hesitantly as he looked up at her. "Hey, Noi?" 

Her eyes lit up and she tilted her head in response, waiting.

"Thanks." Shin didn't know why thanking her felt so strange in the moment, Noi had healed him hundreds of times before but he felt he should say something _more._

A swift flash of emotion ran across Noi's face, was that disappointment? Before she smiled fondly at Shin. "Of course, Shin-senpai." 

* * *

2.

The erratic drone of the Devil channel's programmes buzzed from the TV as Shin lounged on Noi's sofa. 

They both had roughly the same sized apartments but with Noi being more higher priority to En, she was close to the centre of the mansion in the highly guarded section much to her immense displeasure. Any and all attempts to gently curb her from venturing into town or to investigate any scuffles within the mansion was met with a firm _"Fuck off! En is more busy with his mushrooms than with where I'm going!"_ And of course the meek mannered staff were no match for an enraged Noi who always got her way. 

Shin had always thought her rooms were far more welcoming than his comparatively spartan flat. Maybe she had the same flair for decoration like her cousin but the muted warm colour scheme and cosy furnishings made Shin feel at ease. He had even brought Gura-Gura who was curled up on what he had claimed as "his" cushion, blissfully unaware that Noi had bought it just for him. Every so often the dog would kick out and snuffle in his sleep at a particularly loud segment of the show, the host of this program was that not so bright dog-headed devil. 

Shin could hear Noi putter around in her kitchen, cursing intermittently whenever she couldn't find something. Soon enough, he could smell dinner being plated up; they had ordered in, again. Noi wandered back into the lounge, haphazardly balancing plates along her arms in such a way that Shin all but leapt from the couch to save a few of them from ending up on the floor.

"I didn't pay for all of this food for you to just repaint the walls with it!" Shin scolded Noi as she openly laughed at his outrage, he muscled some plates from her hands, pointedly ignoring the fluttering sensation in his chest when their fingers brushed against each other.

She scoffed at Shin and plonked onto the couch, stealing his spot with a cheeky grin. "Exactly, _you_ paid for dinner this time! I'm just excited to eat, that's all, senpai."

Tonight's menu was from the pair's favourite steakhouse. Two large portions of plate-steak drizzled in a rich peppercorn sauce served with a generous supply of side dishes. Noi had poured Shin a glass of wine while she cracked open a can of lager, tossing the metal tab onto the table. They amicably settled down to dig into their meal, hardly coming up for air until the plates were empty and their stomachs full. 

"Ah!" Noi slammed down her empty glass in satisfaction. "Wow, that really hit the spot! It's been a while since we've ordered from there." 

Shin finished his wine with slightly more dignity than Noi but he shared her enthusiasm. "You're right, that was fucking great."

She sprawled across the sofa in a manner only Noi could manage, looking altogether too comfortable and elegant for someone with their legs hooked over the armrest. She stuffed a pillow under her head and turned slightly towards the sofa, the action displacing some of her hair to trail across Shin's lap as he sat beside her. 

"Mm, senpai?" Noi craned her neck to look up at Shin who had been counting the strands of hair without realising. 

He flicked his gaze towards her, quietly admiring her rare moments of downtime; of course he wasn't entranced by the way the television light played off her eyes, sparking them alight. "Yeah, Noi?" 

She smacked her lips together and grinned toothily at him. "Bring me another beer?"

Huffing and rolling his eyes at Noi, Shin rose from the couch and gathered the debris from their meal up. Piling the plates up in a much more stable way than Noi had, he managed to make it to the kitchen in one trip and dumped them in the sink to be washed later. He guessed which beer she had been drinking and refilled her glass, deciding to bring his wine bottle back with him and tucked a few cans under his arm for Noi too. 

As Shin turned to leave the kitchen, something caught his eye. A small photo pinned to the fridge with mismatched magnets. In it, Noi was in a selfie pose in the work car holding up a bag of snacks with a slumbering Shin in the background. Although she was wearing her mask, he could see the way her eyes had crinkled in clear joy in the photo. 

_"When did she take this?"_ He thought, unaware of the small smile making its way onto his face. Shin shook his head and returned to Noi after hearing her complain loudly. 

He set Noi's drink down in front of her and suppressed a laugh at her crow of delight. Shin wagged a finger at her. "You really ought to have more patience, I was gone for barely two minutes!" 

Noi stuck her tongue out at him after she had taken a long gulp of her drink still reclining and taking up most of the couch space, the sight had him pausing dumbly. "I wanted my beer and you were taking fucking ages, plus your legs make a damn good pillow." 

Now Shin blushed at that but the dim lighting of the room kept him safe from Noi's teasing as he took his place beside her. She sat up for a moment, fluffing up the cushion, thwacking it down across Shin's thighs and pulled her hair across one shoulder before resting her head on his lap. 

The weight was comforting and he found himself spreading his arms across the back of the couch and slouching slightly, tuning into the latest show. 

As they watched Chidaruma slaughter another hapless sorcerer in a clearly rigged game of poker, Shin and Noi steadily drank more and more. The cheesy and often terrible jokes reduced them close to tears as the alcohol flowed. 

Noi had stood up, spreading her hand across Shin's thigh for balance before wobbling over to the fridge on unsteady legs. "We're out of beer, senpai!" She bellowed from the kitchen, Gura-Gura didn't even stir at the racket she was causing. 

Snorting uncharacteristically in response, Shin became aware of just how drunk he was. _"Haven't been this bad since we crashed the damn car off the cliff."_ While he had a brief thought that they should probably call it quits for tonight, he instead responded to Noi. "There's more wine in the cupboard!" 

He laughed again upon hearing her exclaimed "Yay!" and watched her come sit beside him, her legs thunked into the coffee table and bumped it a few feet away. Noi shrugged and uncorked the wine with a slight struggle before taking a hearty swig straight from the bottle and passed it to him. 

"Hey…" Noi had a slight slur to her voice but she held her liquor far better than Shin ever could, _"Must be her size."_ He thought enviously as he watched her brow furrow a moment. "Since when were you stocking wine in MY apartment?"

Shin didn't answer her immediately, instead focusing his attention on the alcohol at hand. "C'mon, Noi, you know we spend practically all our time together." His head lolled to the side to look at her, a pleasant fuzziness making him warm and sleepy. "Anyhow it's you taking photos of me sleeping on the job!" Shin shouted in outrage as he suddenly remembered the photo tacked on her fridge. 

Noi pouted at him, refusing the wine and crossing her arms. "Don't you remember? That was the mission where we were stranded in that shit hole of a town following a lead that turned out to be fuck all." 

Shin did indeed remember that terrible job. They were to be stationed in a town to the East, to stake out a rumoured Cross-Eyes base only to find nothing worth investigating. They had called it a waste of time and planned on returning home as soon as they could, only to find the car battery had been stolen while they were patrolling the town and had to waste more time hunting down a new one. Once they had "borrowed" another, they had set off, beyond the point of no return where turning back meant running out of fuel. Noi complained about being hungry roughly two minutes after that and only got in a worse and worse mood as time progressed. 

He had gotten sick of her whining, having felt foul tempered himself and brought out the emergency stash of food Shin had in the car for precisely this type of scenario. He had even gone through the effort of filling the bag with some of her favourite treats: beef jerky and beer. While the silence that followed was golden, Shin found Noi's smile upon seeing the food to be worth the whole mission, mostly. In exchange for the snacks, he had made her take over driving and must have fallen asleep shortly after where she took the photo of him unaware. 

"That was probably the worst mission that that bastard has sent us on, I could have kissed you when you gave me those sandwiches!" Noi's grumbling turned into fond recollection as she turned towards him with a sweet smile. She leant back against his arm, curled her legs underneath her and hugged the little cushion she was using earlier. 

Shin's foggy mind worked overdrive as he registered what she had said, he was too drunk for subtlety. "Would you have?" He blurted out. 

She turned to him confused. "Huh?" Noi suddenly seemed so much closer to him now, blinking sleepily with her cheeks flushed from drinking and her lips wine red. Shin was struck with how effortlessly beautiful she was. He could see the concern written across her face and instead got irritated. _"I don't deserve you."_

"I mean, you're so, _fuck_." Shin stumbled over his words and tried to get his point across, growing more frustrated as he went on. "You shouldn't have to put up with the bare minimum of kindness like that from me. I would be dead a hundred times over without you and all I repay you with is shitty gas station food!" 

Noi frowned and reached towards him. "Shin-" 

"No, let me finish." Shin ran a hand through his hair, uncaring of the way it stood up in multiple directions afterwards. "There's people that would bow at your feet just to get you as a partner! I'm the one that ruined your chance at devilhood, I don't deserve you as a partner." After his impassioned speech, Shin threw himself back on the couch, slumping and covered his face with an arm, cursing the sudden nausea and pounding sore head. 

Noi cleared her throat and took the rubbish through to the kitchen, she stood over Shin when she came back. "I think-" He moved his arm slightly and looked up at her. "I think that you can't handle the booze. You need to sleep it off." She had an expression on her face that Shin had never seen before but Noi turned on her heel and walked to her bedroom. Gura-Gura followed her after a baleful stare at him. 

The soft click of the door shutting had Shin flinch in sudden regret, he slumped down the couch and clumsily kicked off his shoes, passing out as soon as his head hit the pillow Noi had been using and fell asleep with her scent surrounding him. 

Shin blearily opened his eyes after hearing the front door slam shut and saw the morning rays of sun stream through the lounge. After he set his eyes on the abandoned cork still on the coffee table, Shin swore aloud. "Fuck." His voice was gravelly and he could still taste wine on his tongue. A second glance revealed a steaming to-go cup of coffee from his favourite café stand in town with a scrap of paper balanced on top. On it read: 

"Taking GG for walk. I'm not mad. Promise." Scribbled in the familiar scrawl that Noi used. 

He sat up and reached for it slowly, finding one of Noi's blankets tucked around him tenderly. Shin gulped at the coffee, wincing as it burnt his throat, trying to drown out the shame welling in him. _"I deserve that."_

The ramen shop incident had been discussed many times over the years, with Noi firmly refuting all of Shin's self deprecating comments until she had finally snapped and demanded he stopped questioning her judgement. _"It was MY choice, senpai! Quit being so pathetic and accept it for what it is!"_

But it seemed Shin would always hold some lingering doubts in the dark corners of his mind. 

He read the note a few more times, growing more and more resigned to the fact he had fucked up. Majorly. Shin cast his mind back to the unfamiliar face Noi had made at him before she left him alone. It seemed so obvious now that he was mostly sober. He had upset her. 

* * *

3.

Noi found the strength to crack open her eyes, gasping at the white-hot pain coursing through her body that was centered around her throat and stomach. She looked down awkwardly, head wobbling to find Shin's bloodsoaked arms grasping her weakly around the middle atop the broom they had rode out on to fight the Cross-Eyes Boss. 

_"So we lost, huh. First time that's happened."_ Noi thought numbly. She could feel Shin's weight behind her but became aware of how cold he felt and how low the engine was running on smoke.

Failing to swipe up the fuel mask in time, Noi could only watch helplessly as the broom sputtered and shook in midair before swiftly careening towards the nearest rooftop.

"Shit!" Her voice was tight with pain and worry for Shin who had barely stirred behind her, it seemed like he was focusing his remaining strength to keep holding her waist. Noi squirmed around in her seat, ignoring the protestations of her abdomen as shifting had caused a fresh bout of blood to slosh across her legs. She wrapped Shin up in a protective embrace eerily similar to that incident at the ramen shop so many years ago just as the broom smashed into the hard concrete roof of a dilapidated building. 

Noi absorbed most of the impact, muffling a scream as she felt bones fracture and vertebrae snap as Shin tumbled from her grip to slump in a heap beside her. Unable to move her body anymore, Noi gritted her teeth, feeling her broken jaw work fruitlessly. 

_"As long as senpai made it. I can survive anything."_ Was Noi's last thought as blissfully pain-free unconsciousness overcame her, going limp with a final grunt. 

"Noi, _Noi,_ fuck." Shin's baritone funneled through the fog of agony as Noi tried to bat him away. 

"'uck off, senpai, not sparrin' today." Noi groaned as she pushed him away, the shock of pain jolted her awake properly and she cried out. 

"Hey, it's okay, Noi. We got away, En is dealing with it now." His ragged voice was surprisingly gentle as Noi tried to prevent an adrenaline-induced meltdown.

She could feel her healing magic sluggishly work it's way through her body and Noi winced through the throbbing sensation. Turning to Shin, Noi gasped in shock at seeing the state he was in. 

Deathly pale and barely remaining upright, Shin had somehow managed to crawl over to Noi to check on her, leaving a thick trail of blood in his wake. "Fuck! I'm sorry, shit, lemme heal you." She babbled as Shin collapsed, his face barely avoiding smashing against the roof as Noi caught him in her arms, forcing her body upright to help him. 

Deeming him the higher priority, she redirected her smoke output to her mouth and inhaled deeply, ignoring the cracking noises her ribs made in protest before exhaling a thick cloud of smoke over Shin.

He sighed in relief and went limp in Noi's arms. "I would have managed a while longer, Noi, you're in a worse state than me right now." His voice was no longer scratchy as his throat was healed and Shin reversed their positions and gently lowered her back to the ground. He kept an arm cushioned around her neck as she bit down high pitched noises the movement caused. 

This amount of pain was unfamiliar to Noi and she found herself barely restraining tears that she scrubbed away with a harsh hand. _"Pathetic, senpai almost died saving me."_

Sure she had been in bad states after jobs, a few broken bones and missing limbs but nothing this _deadly_ . As she lay in that god forsaken hallway with that _thing_ looming above both of them, she had felt the cold saturating her body. Noi was unable to take comfort in Shin's warmth as he cradled her close to his chest until she passed out, unsure if she would see him again when she woke up. 

Shin stayed beside Noi, unaware of her inner turmoil until she couldn't hold back the thoughts clouding her mind and burst out. "No you wouldn't have! You nearly died getting me out of that shit hole!" She swiped at her eyes and resolutely tore her gaze from Shin's, too ashamed to hold it any longer.

Noi watched him blink a few times confusedly out of the corner of her eye and saw the moment he picked up on the tears washing away the blood coating her face before his face softened. "Noi… You know that we are going to lose a few fights? That we aren't going to be able to celebrate over steak after each mission." 

Her face burned on hearing his gentle tone, surprised that his words actually soothed her and she pouted. "I know that, senpai, but I didn't know that it felt so… shit?" Noi's voice was unsure as she peaked up at Shin, relaxing further into his hold as her body slowly stiched itself back together. 

A hand ruffled her hair and Shin laughed at her words, his eyes watched her fondly. "Despite what happened and the men we lost-" He was quiet for a moment before continuing. "I think once you're all healed up that you can learn from this, right?" 

Leaning into his comforting touch, careful not to shift her spine too much, Noi hummed in agreement. 

"Remember, I'm your senpai and I'm surprised we've managed this long without a loss, I was waiting on the pin to drop on my enthusiastic kōhai." Shin teased her, trying to lighten the dark mood. 

Scoffing at him, Noi couldn't suppress the small smile that appeared on her face as she listened. 

_"Guess he's right, he's been doing this for longer than I have, Shin might be a lazy bastard but he's usually right about this sort of stuff."_ Noi debated with herself and decided to let go of the burning shame she felt at their sound defeat. It would take longer for her pride to recover, but she could manage as long as she had Shin. 

She closed her eyes for a moment, tiredness suddenly overwhelming her but a soft touch on her face had Noi scowling and looking upwards. All she could see was Shin's face above her as he brushed away the tears on her cheeks with gentle swipes of his thumbs. The endless blue of his eyes distracted Noi and she was shocked into silence, letting him continue his attempt at cleaning her up somewhat. _"Mm, this is nice."_ Noi was almost lulled back to sleep until she was struck with an idea.

Reaching for Shin, she also tried to wipe away some of the blood caking his face, scratching away the drying flakes softly. _"His or mine?"_

Almost unconsciously, he leaned into her hand so that she cupped his cheek. They both paused in their movements and watched each other. Taking comfort in the touch of their partner. 

_"What is this feeling?"_

Shin's brow furrowed and he looked away quickly for a moment before looking back at her. "Noi, where the fuck is the broom?" 

"Shit."

* * *

4.

Shin shifted awkwardly under the tailor's tape, uncomfortable with the incessant touching. With Noi, it was different. She usually just punched or shoved him carefree as ever but she still respected his need for avoiding contact when he wanted to. His mind wandered to the few clandestine moments they had shared over the years, quiet and intimate with neither being bold enough to take it a step further. A gentle caress here, a firm embrace there, Shin both treasured and yearned for those moments with Noi. Unable to rationalise it himself, he chalked it up to just wanting to be close to his best friend and partner. 

"This won't take much longer, Shin-san." The tailor murmured apologetically as they concentrated on taking his final measurements. "Noi-san and yourself often take the longest for fittings because of your size." 

Noi piped up from where she was lounging on a couch, waiting for her turn and eager to irritate Shin. "It's a shame about your small stature, senpai, but not everyone can grow up to be as huge as me!"

Shin's eyebrow twitched as he looked around for something to throw at her, ignoring the squawk of protest as he shifted away from the tape. "Shut up, Noi, you might be taller but I'm still broader than you."

"Eh?! Like hell you are, senpai!" Noi shrieked in protest and continued to slander him as he turned away, smirking, mission accomplished. _"Always so easy to wind up, Noi."_ Shin watched her point and glare at him through one of the mirrors, her enraged red eyes promising retribution. 

"Forgive me, Noi-san but Shin-san might be right, his measurements are up from last year's fitting." They spoke demurely, trying not to evoke her wrath but Shin could see the mischief dancing in their eyes. 

Cackling to himself, Shin let Noi push him out the way as she strode onto the podium, demanding to be measured right now. He spluttered in indignation as Noi ripped off her baggy t-shirt and threw it at his face. Catching the fabric and turning to scowl at her, he paused. 

_"Wow."_

She looked quite the picture standing there in her sports bra with her arms crossed furiously as she waited on the tailor sifting through their book of notes to get to Noi's page. Tossing her hair back and forth, she moved to glare at him intermittently, Shin admired how the full locks tumbled down her back and the glittering of her jewellery shining in the light. 

Finally ready to measure her, the meek sorcerer carefully positioned their tools and wrote down something in their book.

"Well?! He's wrong right? He better be wrong." Noi grit out as she waited on their response.

Shin tossed her shirt back to her, mildly impressed that she caught it without looking at him. "What are you so worked up over, Noi? I won't tease you cos you are slighter than me." Shin spoke with a shit-eating grin and watched Noi puff up further, opening her mouth ready to curse his very existence before the tailor interrupted. 

"An inch and a half. Shin-san is broader by an inch and a half, Noi-san." 

The racket that ensued could surely be heard all throughout the mansion and Noi stormed over to Shin after she had finished her temper tantrum, narrowing her eyes at him. 

_"Shit."_

Admiring her from afar was tolerable but when she was this close and they were both partially undressed, Shin was unsure he'd survive. Noi looked him up and down, consideringly, her intense gaze had a flush forming across his face as he felt exposed under her investigation. 

Shin sweated slightly and wondered if this is what En felt like when Chota was around. "What's your deal, Noi? I'm not growing by the minute." 

Pursing her lips, the thunderous expression clouding her face faded and she suddenly laughed out loud. "Heh, that's alright, senpai. I'll let you win this round but all I have to do is work out harder in the gym, you'll see~" Her playful voice was at odds with the angry shouting just moments before. Noi leaned in closer, a scant few inches from his face and whispered. "Just you wait." The competitive streak that Shin had grown to love had sparked her eyes alight and he relished in the challenge presented. 

The tailor cleared their throat, uncomfortable with the charged tension between the pair and Noi flounced back over to get the rest of her measurements completed. Shin exhaled quietly, all at once relieved to have his own space back and already missing her presence. 

_"It's going to be a long night."_ Shin thought grimly. 

After the afternoon’s trials had passed, Shin and Noi made their way back to their respective apartments, chatting amicably as they wandered the hallways. 

Noi nudged Shin playfully, bumping his shoulder as they walked side by side. “So, d’ya think anything interesting will happen tonight, senpai?” Her voice was pensieve and Shin pondered the question for a minute

Tonight, En was holding a yearly ball exclusive to the hordes of business people that held residence in his district. It was mostly a mixture of flaunting his wealth and power over the rest of the sorcerer population while also ensuring that important connections stayed fresh. Personal invitations sent out by En marked those eligible to enter his mansion and they could gorge themselves on the finest cuisine the city had to offer. After a lavish dinner, the townspeople could dance and drink to their heart's content; under the opportunistic gaze of En. 

Of course, that's not all that happened at these balls. Often there were at least a few would be assassins or scuffles that Shin and Noi got to deal with. Noi in particular _loved_ pulverising any plucky idiots that tried to attack En. Not for the reason of protecting her cousin, but for the sheer thrill of the fight, the joy of _winning._

Shin hummed noncommittally. "If by interesting you mean throwing another guy off a balcony or watching En seduce another idiot to serve him then by all means, sure." He didn't have high hopes for this evening. Resigned to being stuck in a stuffy fitted suit, unlike his comfortable work clothes and to patrolling the ballroom. They both had orders to stay sober and keep an eye on things as En had put it. Shin especially hated enduring the pawing from weaklings begging him to be their partner, he always shrugged them off and sought out Noi quickly after such incidents. 

She smirked knowingly, aware of Shin's extreme dislike of large social events. "You really aren't used to it after working for En this long?" Noi's arm brushed against his as they turned into another corridor, Shin found the soft touch eased the tension in his shoulders and he shook his head. 

"You know I never had to do this shit before you came along, you got me a promotion!" They had both joked about how following signing a contract, En had delegated tasks of greater responsibility and importance onto Shin. The boss had blamed it on his cousin's sudden presence on the front lines. He was unsure if En meant to test Noi or even stranger, expose her to challenging battles to foster her steadily growing fighting prowess. Thinking about those two's complex relationship confused Shin, and so he quickly ceased that train of thought; focusing on the present.

Noi snickered. "Of course your life has gotten so much better with me in it!" She pirouetted on her heels as they walked and Shin snorted at her antics. 

He thought about her comment for a few seconds. "Yeah, it really has." Shin agreed wholeheartedly and smiled to himself before looking up at his partner. Noi was silent. _"Is she blushing? No. It must be the lighting."_ He quickly elaborated on his statement. "I mean, who else is going to buy me dinner?" He joked and nudged her, which was like shoving at a brick wall, she barely moved an inch. 

She seemed to have come back to herself and beamed at Shin. "Listen here you greedy bastard, next time we're on the job _you're_ going to be the one paying and when you do, I'm going to _break_ your wallet." Shin could tell Noi was fully serious about the threat. 

That odd tension disappeared as quickly as it had come and the two said their farewells and went down separate forks in the corridor, heading to their apartments to prepare for the ball. 

_"This is even worse than last year."_ Shin lingered at the sidelines watching the masses of drunken townspeople fall over themselves in an attempt to dance. _"What the hell kind of booze did En find?"_ The man in question was in his element, breezing through the crowds with a gaggle of admirers trailing after him. 

En _thrived_ at parties, he'd set his sights on someone that caught his interest, offer a few compliments, some coy gazes and ended up with at least a dozen new followers by the end of an hour. Each more naive and devoted than the last. His current target was a hulking sorcerer that seemed close to joyful tears as En had taken the arm offered to him. 

The quality of the dinner almost made up for the idiocy Shin would have to endure and he stood sullenly; alone. Usually, Noi was easy to spot in a crowd, thanks to the foot minimum height advantage she had on almost everyone present. While not as tall as her, Shin could see over the heads of many party goers and could not spot his partner. 

_"Where is she?"_ His already low mood was careening further south so he headed towards the bar where Fujita was forcefully working, En didn't want him ruining the festivities so he was ordered to stay put. 

Shin nodded in greeting to the stressed boy, shoving through the crowd to get to the front, they parted like water once they realised who it was. One man tried to protest but a look from Shin had him scurrying away in fright. "Fujita, wine." He looked relieved upon seeing Shin scatter the massive queue and quickly fetched a fresh bottle to fill a glass with. 

"Shin-san, are these parties normally so…?" Fujita made a vague gesture and Shin nodded grimly. 

"You have to get used to it, they are almost as bad as Blue Night." He waved a half-hearted farewell and left Fujita to the mercy of the drunken horde. 

Spying a secluded corner beside a table of food, Shin made his way over and helped himself to some nibbles. The wine was good, the food even better. _"But why do I feel so unhappy?"_

"God, he really is such a flirt isn't he?" Noi's voice drifted over his shoulder as he stood glaring at the crowds. Shin turned and saw Noi watching En charm another person but his attention was quickly diverted to her outfit. 

Unlike his plain nondescript suit, she was wearing a smart mossy green blazer paired with a white shirt and snug fitting trousers held up by a shiny black belt. Noi had changed out her usual silver accessories for warm gold that matched with her dapper outfit. Shin's mouth inexplicably went dry and he looked back up at her. _"Is she wearing lipstick?"_ He wrenched his attention from his partner, confused and irritated by the plethora of unfamiliar emotions coursing through him. 

Shin cleared his throat and mumbled into his glass. "Aren't you the same?" He winced. _"Fuck, why did I say that."_

Noi raised a brow at him and coolly looked away, not bothering to answer.

Sudden regret filled Shin and he looked at her properly. "I'm sorry, Noi, this whole debacle is pissing me off but I shouldn't take it out on you." 

She stared at him for a moment until her expression softened and she smiled at him kindly. "It's okay, senpai, sorry I was late. I couldn't find a shirt that fit me." Noi looked mischievous and Shin realised why her shirt looked so familiar. 

Spluttering in indignation, he pointed at her accusingly. "Is that mine?! Why the fuck did you bother getting fitted for new clothes if you wouldn't wear them! How did you even get that?" Shin's face coloured as he silently agreed that the shirt looked better on her than it did on him. 

Noi waved him off nonchalantly. "Don't make such a fuss, the one that the tailor made didn't suit the outfit so I took one of yours." She quickly cut off Shin before he could rant again. "I didn't ransack your flat if that's what you're worried about, I just found a shirt you had left at mine." 

"Didn't suit the outfit? Noi, it's a white shirt! Custom made as well!" Shin couldn't believe his partner. 

She smoothed her hands down her jacket. "Trust me, it matters and I think I made the right choice, don't you?" Noi posed for him with a cheeky grin across her face, enjoying teasing him. 

She had successfully distracted him from his foul mood and Shin blushed as he looked Noi up and down. "Y-yeah, I guess so." He murmured, pointedly ignoring how the fabric strained around her chest and stared into her eyes. She was watching him with an avid stare that made him shift on the spot. _"Here we go."_

Circling Shin like a shark, Noi's mouth pursed in concentration and she completed her loop; pointing directly at Shin in accusation. "I'm not the only one with an outfit change, something is different about you. I can tell." She tilted her head before coming a hand on her hip and reached out for Shin. "Oh, how did I not notice? You changed your tie!" Noi playfully tugged on it, once again using her full strength which dragged Shin towards her. He stumbled and would have fell if not for Noi's arms grabbing his steadingly. "Sorry, senpai." her voice was sheepish and Shin wrenched his head upwards to glare at her. 

_"Yep, that's definitely lipstick."_ Her red eyes twinkled with amusement as she watched Shin's protest trail off. Noi's breaths brushed softly against his cheeks and Shin could smell her perfume, this close, the fragrance was almost heady and he felt dizzy. 

A clamoring of noise off to the right broke the two out of their spell and Noi grinned devilishly. "Race you there, senpai!" 

Shin loosened his tie and flicked his hammer out from his sleeve, tossing the wine glass away. "You're on!" 

_"Someone in security is going to be turned into a mushroom over this."_ Shin ducked a badly calculated punch. A group of disgruntled nobodies had crashed the party, not even some Cross-Eyes that they could have fun with. Instead what they lacked in brains they made up for in numbers. En was watching the fight take place in the centre of the ballroom, outwardly he looked as bored as ever but Shin knew him well enough to clock the fury boiling in his maroon eyes. 

_"At least someone is enjoying themselves."_ Shin spared a glimpse at Noi who was fighting six goons at once and laughing madly as she sidestepped their attacks. The ones still standing were quivering in fear but they continued to try and hit her. Of course, all of them failed miserably one by one as Noi ripped them to pieces; quite literally. An arm or two sailed into their audience and Shin snorted at the ensuing screams.

Twisting sharply to the side, he avoided another strike and smashed his hammer into the side of his opponent's skull, relishing in watching the life fade from their eyes. Shin was growing bored of fighting these weaklings so he slashed his arm across the air towards two men approaching him, exuding his smoke and smirking as they fell apart; too shocked to scream. 

A cut-off shout of pain signalled the end of Noi's targets as she threw the last man bodily towards one of the pillars flanking the hall. A sharp telltale snap of his spine ended his life and there was a brief moment of silence. 

Rounds of applause broke out and Noi was quickly crowded by admirers cooing and simpering about how strong and powerful she was. Shin's eyebrow twitched at the sight and he turned away to wipe the blood off his hammer on one of the corpses. 

"Move." Noi's voice was dangerously deep as she loomed over the men and women blocking her way, they paled and wisely made themselves scarce. 

Surprisingly, she had managed to keep her outfit devoid of blood throughout the fight. _"She must really like that one, that explains her actually dodging in a fight."_ Noi flicked her head in the direction of one of the balconies and Shin breathed a quiet sigh of relief and followed her. 

The actual cleaners swarmed the scene, armed with mops and buckets they hurriedly scrubbed away the blood and hauled the bodies onto carts. Shin trailed Noi, kicking a limb out of his way as they strode through the crowds that scattered before them. She passed the bar and paused for a moment, holding her hand out expectingly. "Beer." Fujita scrambled and all but threw two bottles on the bar top in his haste. Noi held the bottle necks between her fingers and sauntered out to the balcony, ignoring the admiring stares that followed her.

The cool night air kissed away the slight sheen of sweat covering Shin's face and he exhaled softly, ridding himself of the lingering adrenaline. He accompanied Noi who was gazing out over the city and leaned on the stone wall bordering the balcony, content to just watch her. She twisted off the cap on one of the bottles and passed it to Shin who took a drink gratefully, fighting always did work up a thirst.

"You know," Noi began, breaking the calm silence between the pair. "You really do suit red, Shin-senpai." She spoke quietly and glanced down at the red tie that Shin had found at the back of his wardrobe.

Confused about Noi's sudden mood change, Shin placed his bottle on the wall before crossing his arms and turning to her. "What's wrong, Noi? Fighting always gets you fired up." 

The band had begun playing again inside and the gentle notes drifted outside, Shin watched Noi run a hand through her hair and gesture towards the skyline. "Ah, I dunno. It's just-" She pointed a thumb over her shoulder towards the party. "Does it ever bother you how those useless wastes of smoke never actually try to defend themselves? They always scream and beg for help like cowards and then pretend to be grateful afterwards." Noi's voice was thick with frustration and she took a long drink from her bottle. 

Shin frowned. "I thought you liked the attention, Noi." This was the first time he'd heard her talk like this and he was worried. 

She snorted. "Well, _yeah_ , sometimes. But I prefer it from people I actually want it from." Noi snuck a glance at him before setting her shoulders. "People like _you_ , senpai." 

The hot sensation of blood rushing to Shin's face made him tighten his grip on his beer and he chuckled weakly. "Noi…" 

She drained her bottle and tossed it over the rail, interrupting Shin. "Dance with me?" There was a clear plaintive tone to her voice and Shin found himself eager to ease her worries but he was also anxious himself. _"How often do we dance around this without ever addressing it?"_

Shin protested half-heartedly. "You know I only dance when I'm drunk." 

Noi extended her hand and waited. "I'll keep your secret, don't worry." She bit her lip and seemed to be on the verge of turning back inside so Shin impulsively grabbed her hand. 

She gently pulled him towards her and their fingers intertwined, her warm hand brushing against his stitches. Shin hooked an arm around her waist, softly rubbing the fabric with his thumb and bringing Noi flush to him. Placing her free hand on his shoulder, she looked down at him and murmured. "Is this okay?" Shin didn't think he'd ever get used to how _happy_ Noi was when she was with him, her eyes were brimming with fondness. 

"Yeah. Yeah this is okay." He breathed and they slowly danced across the balcony, swaying in time with the music but neither moving away from each other. 

Feeling playful, Shin suddenly dipped Noi who squealed in surprise, clutching at his shoulder with a death grip. "Shin!" 

He laughed openly in what seemed like the first time in weeks but abruptly stopped when Noi lunged for him and dipped him dangerously close to the floor in retaliation. Shin flailed and hooked his leg around hers, tripping her over and they both fell to the ground with an " _Oof!_ " 

Noi's considerable weight crushed him and he could barely breathe, slapping at her shoulder to get her to _move._ "Noi, _fuck_ , get off!" Shin gasped as his vision went dark. 

She giggled and propped herself above him on her elbows. A strand of hair swung from Noi's shoulder as she laughed and Shin smiled, reaching up to tuck it behind her ear.

They froze and watched each other in silence unable to look away until a throat clearing in the doorway had them both scrambling away from each other. 

"For fuck sake, what do you want?" Noi ground out, unseasonably annoyed at the interruption. Shin dusted himself off and felt his blood run cold as he saw En watching them with a curious look. _"Oh shit."_

He narrowed his eyes at Shin and ignored Noi. "I told you to keep an eye on things, not fondle each other in the shadows." En was not impressed and Shin was mortified. 

"Fondle?! Just what is it you've been doing the entire night huh? You hypocritical bastard!" Noi shouted at him and stormed inside, glaring at En all the way. 

Alone with En after being caught in a compromising position with his cousin was not the way Shin envisioned he'd die. "I'll get back to work, En-san." He apologised and tried to skirt around the boss. 

"Shin." En halted him with a stern tone and Shin froze. "I don't need to tell you what will happen if you hurt Noi." 

_"Fuck."_

"En-san, it's not-" He tried to explain himself but En was done speaking. 

"Back to work, Shin-kun." 

He nodded stiffly and hurried inside, tail tucked between his legs. 

_"Am I in love with Noi?"_

* * *

5.

"Are you serious?" Shin laughed at Noi in disbelief. "You've really never seen a winter in Hole?" 

Noi shoved him, trying not to smile at hearing his laughter. "Of course I haven't! Why would I go to that dump when I can be here?" She didn't understand what the big deal was, sure Hole had sunny days like how their world eternally was and that it rained or stormed but Noi didn't know what Shin was talking about. 

"Well Hole might be a trash heap but it's actually somewhat nice in winter so I'll have to show you." Shin tapped a finger on his chin as he considered the idea. "You will have to bundle up, although you run hotter than a furnace I don't want to deal with you complaining of the cold." 

Noi groaned in exasperation. "Senpaiii, I don't wanna go to Hole!" 

"I'll buy you food." 

"Okay!" 

An hour or so later, Noi met Shin in the courtyard where he was waiting impatiently for her. "Took you long enough!"

Noi scoffed at him. "If you haven't noticed, senpai, I don't exactly own anything cosy." 

Speaking of cosy, Noi looked at his outfit and covered the smile threatening to unfold with her hand. He was in his usual suit but he was wearing a surprisingly smart overcoat she had never seen before, Shin even had a woolen scarf around his neck. 

_"So cute."_

She had managed to scrape a warm outfit together. At the back of Noi's cavernous closet, she had found a thick jumper dress which she paired with wooly stockings and boots. Shin looked her over and nodded absentmindedly, turning away as she could see the first hints of a blush form on his face. 

"Right, I'll make the door since I know a decent place where we won't be bothered by any humans."

A puff of smoke later and Noi followed Shin to Hole. 

_"Wow."_ Noi wasn't often stunned speechless but the sight of a snow covered Hole rendered her so. The thick white blanket layered over the surroundings had managed to blot out the graffiti and rundown buildings, painting a calm and quiet picture. 

Shin watched her reaction and smiled. "Yeah, it's quite something isn't it?" 

Noi nodded and peered upwards at the purple clouds, worryingly. "Don't worry, it's not going to rain at this temperature." After Shin had mentioned it, she became aware of how bitterly _cold_ it was and shivered slightly, he didn't seem to have noticed it. 

Looking around, she realised they were standing at what seemed to be an old factory site. The empty expanse of land seemed sad almost, Shin was right, there wasn't a human in sight. "C'mon, it's this way." He jerked his head towards a little path down the side of the factory's skeleton and Noi followed. 

Walking in snow, as Noi soon discovered, was not an easy task to someone that had never seen it before and Shin snickered at her numerous complaints. "Senpai this better be worth the hassle!" Noi shouted as she slid on yet another patch of hidden ice.

Rolling his eyes, Shin extended a hand to her as she almost tumbled into a snowbank. "You know, for someone with such long legs you aren't very graceful." 

Noi gaped. "Fuck you!" But she accepted the help nonetheless, sighing at feeling the warmth of his palm against hers, the coarse stitching woven into his fingers slid pleasantly across her skin. Noi could see the blush creeping up Shin's face as she kept a hold of his hand. _"Well, he's warm and if I fall so does he."_ She rationalised to herself as they pair walked together through the lonely trail. Without further incident, they rounded the bend in the path and came upon an ancient looking park with a solitary bench. 

Noi entertained the idea of trying out the swingset but the metal looked far too fragile to withstand her heft so she looked back to Shin to ask what he thought before she stopped. 

He was looking at the park with eyes fogged over in memory, shoulders drooped and he had let go of her hand when his had gone limp. 

Growing concerned, Noi stayed beside Shin. "Senpai?" She asked quietly, not wanting to startle him. 

Her partner blinked and glanced at her with a tight smile, gesturing at the bench. "Go ahead, Noi." 

_"Has senpai been here before?"_ Noi cast a worried look at Shin and headed to sit down, brushing off the thick layer of snow on top of the wood. She carefully mopped away the moisture with her sleeve and sat. Shin was still standing a few paces away from her so Noi patted the space beside her to get his attention. 

Shin sighed and sat down heavily. "Did you ever go to parks when you were younger, Noi?"

The question made her scrunch her nose, she hadn't thought of her parents in years. "By the time En had come back from Hell he took me with him to be his little healer while he built his empire. I don't know how old I was then." Noi spat. "During all that shit, I met Duston and you know what happened next. Why, senpai?" 

He was silent for a long while until he spoke monotonously. "My old man used to bring me here."

_"Oh shit, is this why Shin wanted to visit? Is it the anniversary of his death?"_

What little information Noi knew about Shin's life she had gained from En or from the snippets of conversations they had had over the years. She knew he was orphaned as a teenager when some disgusting humans tortured and killed his father, after that he lived on the streets and took his revenge on the humans. 

She stayed quiet, waiting to see if Shin spoke some more. When he didn't, she wasn't particularly surprised nor disappointed. 

"How about that food you promised me, senpai?" Noi tried to lighten Shin's mood and gently bumped shoulders with him. 

It seemed to work as Shin chuckled and stood. "Yeah, I could do with something to eat." His voice was tired but the tiny smile on his face seemed genuine and Noi internally congratulated herself on distracting him. 

They made to leave the park but Shin paused to glance back. The look on his face pulled at her seldom used heart strings and she couldn't help feeling solemn on his behalf. All bundled up in his coat and hands tucked in his pockets, Shin's hair shifted in the breeze. Noi watched him for a moment, her heart aching for her partner before she made a split second decision. 

She turned fully and wrapped her arms around Shin's waist and shoulders, tugging him towards her in a fierce embrace. Shin stiffened immediately but he slowly pulled his hands from his pockets and looped them around her back, resting his head against her chest. 

_"Fuck, I really love him don't I?"_

Noi settled her chin on top of Shin's head and the pair stood still, together, for a few long minutes. He broke the hug first and Noi missed feeling his warmth, shivering in the sudden breeze. 

He looked up at her, smiling lopsidedly. "Thank you, Noi." Shin noticed her shivers and unlooped his scarf, reaching up to wind it around her neck. She shuddered at the warmth and tucked her face into the scarf, inhaling the comforting scent of his cologne. "Oh, Noi, look." Shin pointed upwards and Noi saw fluffy snowflakes drifting downwards from the sky. One of them landed on her cheek and she flinched slightly at the piercing cold. 

Huffing in amusement, Shin brushed it from her face and Noi closed her eyes on feeling his hand against her skin. 

"Wait, I've got a surprise, keep your eyes shut." Shin sounded playful and Noi's heart thudded in her chest as she waited. 

A handful of snow struck her in the face and she shrieked. "What the FUCK!" Noi whirled around, hunching into a fighting stance and Shin was nowhere to be seen. Another snowball slapped the back of her head and Noi spotted Shin behind her, deliberately staying in her blind spot. She scooped up snow and threw it back only to find it scattering like a cloud of smoke. 

"Don't you know how to make a snowball, Noi?" Shin called out as he danced out of her lunging grasp.

"Fuck you! I don't need snowballs to beat your ass!" Noi growled and reached for him again. 

The idea of leaving to grab something to eat was forgotten and the two ran around the park like children, both blatantly ignoring their feelings for the other; too frightened to ruin the bond they already had as they tried to stay content with just their friendship. 

* * *

+1

Noi swiped the sweat from her brow and piled on even more weight to the bar. She was set to beat her personal record with the rate she was working at but Noi didn’t care, today she was _pissed._

Having done some thinking and theorising during the night, she had come to the conclusion that her crush on Shin that she had harboured for so many years had actually progressed to full blown _love._

 _“When the fuck did that happen?”_ All she knew was that she could barely pass the time without thinking about her partner, wondering what he was doing when they weren’t together whilst yearning to be at his side again. All the telltale signs that she was in love with him, and Noi had the sneaking suspicion that Shin felt the same way. _“Friends don’t look at each other the way he looks at me.”_

But what had Noi so angry was how long it took her to realise the obvious, of course some _intimate_ moments had occurred throughout their partnership. Like that time in the snow last winter but she had chalked it up to feeling emotional on Shin’s behalf and the pair never spoke about the embrace they had. Or on the roof after surviving the Cross-Eyes Boss and Shin had wiped away her tears with a touch far too gentle to be platonic. 

Noi squatted down and gripped the bar with all her strength, hauling it up in a straight deadlift. Her legs trembled and sweat streaked down her chest as she held the pose for a few seconds before dropping it, ignoring how the metal slammed into the padded gym floor. Snatching up the towel, Noi mopped at her damp skin and threw it over her shoulder, storming over to one of the fully stocked fridges; cracking open a bottle of water and draining it. 

Across the gym, Shin raised his eyebrow at the racket Noi was making so he set the barbell back on the rack and sat up to see what she was doing. His partner had a positively thunderous expression on her face and Shin saw how overburdened with weights her bar was. Noi was standing at a fridge guzzling some water and Shin tore his gaze from her gleaming abs. 

_“Someone’s in a bad mood today.”_ Shin thought it might be best to avoid her if she was out for blood, ignoring the voice in his head that urged him to go to Noi and soothe her temper. He had been having a lot of thoughts like that lately and the swell of emotions that accompanied Noi’s presence confused Shin. _“Don’t be such a creep, she’s your best friend and partner, nothing more. Don’t ruin this.”_

His internal stream of self loathing was cut off as he heard Noi make her way over to him. Shin wished he could disappear when Noi held her hands on her hips above him and spoke without ceremony. “Fight me.” She demanded. 

“H-huh?” Shin responded dumbly and Noi stamped her foot in frustration. 

“You heard me you idiot!” Shin winced at her shrill tone. “Fight me!” 

Holding his hands up placatingly, Shin agreed. “Alright, alright, fucking hell. Let’s go to the ring then.” 

Noi didn’t wait on him and she stomped through to the other room, Shin following meekly. 

A few underlings had occupied the largest sparring ring, freezing when they saw Noi step through the cords that bordered the circle. “What the fuck are you all looking at? Do you want to fight too?!” She didn’t halt her advance and the young men tripped over themselves in their haste to avoid her wrath, uttering “Sorry, Noi-sama.”

While Shin was always treated with respect by the goons of the En family, Noi was second only to the boss himself in the level of fear she inspired and Shin almost felt sorry for the boys that would surely have nightmares over this encounter with an enraged Noi.

As soon as Shin was in the ring with her, Noi struck out with a brutal punch with zero warning, he could actually hear the air whistle as her fist flew through towards him. Barely managing to dodge the surely fatal blow, Shin retaliated with a sharp kick, hoping to catch her in the legs and slow her down for a few seconds. 

Noi huffed and side stepped, they circled each other like wild dogs and she spoke up. “You know, I’ve been thinking.” She darted out with a left hook that clipped Shin’s ribs with a sickening crunch. 

“Dangerous occupation, that.” Shin gasped without missing a beat, gingerly touching his side and counting the cracked ribs. He twisted swiftly, ignoring the burning pain in his chest and sent a roundhouse kick straight into the side of Noi’s head. 

Rendered off balance, Noi stumbled and grunted at the blow, despite the force of his kick; she remained upright and glared at him. Her skull was caved in on one side and her jaw was hanging loose, tongue lolling out like some sort of devil. Cracking her mouth back into place, she growled. “When are we going to talk about this?” Noi gestured between the two of them as her head healed. 

_“Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.”_

Shin panicked and feigned ignorance. Avoiding the frustrated backhand aimed his way, he lingered at the sidelines. “What’s there to talk about, Noi?”

Now fully healed, Noi didn’t give him a break and was intent on boxing him in, Shin managed to dodge the majority of the devastating attacks but an efficient jab to his knee had him crumpling on the blood soaked mat. As she looked above him, face set in a furious snarl, Shin quickly popped his knee back into the socket and surged for Noi. 

Expecting her to dodge, Shin _and_ Noi were comically surprised at the sickening impact of his fist burying elbow deep into her chest, spraying blood everywhere as it emerged from her back. She coughed wetly, spluttering blood down her chest and swayed on the spot. 

Shin worked his jaw for a moment but no words came out. “Noi, what the fuck, why didn’t you _move_?” He could feel her wet insides tremble around his arm and tried to gently extract it. 

Noi wheezed and laughed weakly. “So I could do _this.”_ She wrapped an arm around his back and reeled him in with an iron grip, his elbow sliding deeper inside her chest. Before he could question her, she wound her hand into his hair and wrenched his face towards hers, capturing his lips in a bloody kiss. 

His eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as Noi swiped her tongue across his bottom lip making him moan raggedly and clutch at her just as fiercely. Shin’s eyes lidded shut and he reciprocated fully, shivering as he felt Noi sigh in delight. Their tongues fought against each other and Shin drank in Noi’s taste, instantly addicted to her, she latched onto his lip with her teeth and bit down roughly; lapping up the blood as he shuddered at the feeling. 

“Oh, _Shin.”_ Noi breathed against his mouth and he suddenly came back to himself, shoving her away and ripping his arm out of her chest far more violently than he meant to. _“What am I doing, I’m not ready for this sort of game, I’m not ready to disappoint her.”_

Noi stumbled away, shocked and clutching at the gaping hole in her torso. “What the fuck is your problem?! That fucking hurt!” 

“Noi, we _can’t_ do this. We can’t.” Shin was struggling to catch his breath as his mind went into overload, he felt cold and shaky. 

“Says fucking who? You know there’s more between us than friendship, you _know_ that I lo-“ Noi wasn’t able to finish her sentence as Shin interrupted her aggressively. 

He held a hand to his face, covering his eyes, ignoring how his hand shook and looked back at her. “Don’t. Just don’t. Let’s just pretend this never happened and go back to the way things were.”

Shin felt wretched when he saw the tears filling her eyes and his own started watering at the sight. 

“Fuck you.” Noi whispered and she left the ring, left Shin. 

“FUCK!” Noi ripped a door off its hinges as she stormed through the mansion, nearby goons shrieked in fright and fled the scene. Her chest was still lazily leaking blood and she left a macabre trail behind her. _“I’ve ruined everything, I practically jumped senpai because I couldn’t handle the fact that he might not love me back.”_

Tears fogged her vision and Noi put her fist through the nearest wall, ashamed of herself. She stopped and scrubbed at her eyes furiously as she heard a group of people round the corner in front of her. 

En was discussing something with his team of secretaries until he noticed a bloodied Noi and the scene of destruction behind her. “Leave us.” He waited for the underlings to bow and trot away before approaching Noi. “Care to explain why you are ruining my portraits?” En didn’t sound impressed and he crossed his arms as he waited on Noi’s response. 

“Why do you care?” She mumbled as she turned towards him. 

“I don’t. But I’d rather know about something that’s made _you,_ of all people, cry.” En wasn’t concerned, rather curious actually and Noi grit her teeth upon hearing his inquisitive tone. 

Since he had practically abducted a toddler Noi for his quest to rule the world, En played some part in raising her. A fact they were both loathe to acknowledge. Unless he had a nanny to throw her at, Noi had to follow En around as he slowly ripped apart and rebuilt the chaos of the sorcerers’ realm. She had learned at a young age that En was not the sympathetic type so she had to process her emotions in other ways, namely fighting. Despite that, he was still the one to have seen her cry the most, even more than Shin. 

The thought of her partner made Noi wince. “I quit.” 

En scoffed. “You don’t get to quit. Now, are you going to tell me or do I have to ask Shin-kun?”

Noi wanted so badly to drag En around by his ridiculous hair but even she knew better to do that. “Ask him all you want, he’s going to be filing for a new partner anyway.” Her voice wobbled as she spoke. 

Now that made En raise a hairless brow. “What are you talking about? Why the fuck would he want anyone else? He’s clearly infatuated with you, for some reason.”

“Clearly not. Hey! Fuck you!” Noi snarled at En, making a rude gesture at him. “Yeah, well, I thought so too but I’ve ruined everything.” She felt morose again, the ebb and flow of rage and sorrow was disorientating, too many conflicting emotions in one day. 

Quiet for a moment, En looked at Noi more closely before speaking. “Judging by the blood all over your mouth, you either tried to eat him or…” His deep voice was tinged with amusement, knowing exactly what had happened and Noi blushed. “At least you finally did something, it was maddening watching the two of you tiptoe around each other.”

“He doesn’t feel the same way.” Noi whined, feeling pathetic as En looked moments away from laughing at her. 

“You are so obtuse, Noi.” At her bristle, En continued before she could launch a marble carving of himself towards him. “Use your brain for a moment, I know it’s difficult for you but just think. What happened the last time Shin loved someone?”

_“Oh.”_

En nodded at her silence. “And what happened the last time he let himself get close to someone? Shin stole her devilhood as she was on the cusp on becoming one. At least, that’s how he sees it.” 

Noi was in disbelief. “But that’s different, we’re partners now and I’ve told him that it was my choice!”

He checked his watch, mushroom shaped obviously, and sighed. “Unlike you, Noi, Shin hasn’t had everything in his life handed to him on a silver platter. He’s a reclusive man who still carries the scars of his past, literally. As much as he is a sadistic cruel bastard, Shin doesn’t want to get hurt like that again nor does he want to hurt _you.”_

Noi clenched her fists, hating how much sense En was making. “So I should give him time and let him come to me?” She thought about thanking her cousin for a very brief moment before discarding such a dumb idea. 

Waving his hand in the air dismissively, he made to leave, shooting a parting statement at Noi. “I don’t care what you do, as long as you don’t wake up the whole mansion while you are at it.”

Her face bordered on purple with rage and embarrassment and Noi slung insults at En’s retreating back; unaware of the smile on his face. 

Shin watched the blood drip from his arm after Noi slammed the door behind herself. _“I’ve fucking ruined_ everything, _Noi is never going to want to be my partner again, she’s never going to want to be something more with me.”_

He left the gym, numb, plodding back to his apartment; the weight of his regret slowing him down. The journey passed in a blur, Shin didn’t even turn his head as some workers ran for their lives, streaking past him. Each step was agony, partly due to his broken ribs and partly due to his breaking heart. 

Scraping his keys from his pocket, Shin unlocked the apartment on autopilot and shuffled inside. He rested against the closed door, and slumped down the length of it to sit in a heap on the floor; his head cradled in his hands. 

Wallowing in self pity, Shin stayed there for what seemed like hours until Gura-Gura shoved his way under his arm and flopped onto Shin’s lap. 

“I’m sorry Gura-Gura, I’m sure Noi will file for joint custody of you. You always did prefer her to me, I can see why.” He scratched behind the dog's ears, gaining a slobbery lick to his hand that made Shin smile.

Although, when Gura-Gura started licking big stripes up his bloodied arm, Shin shoved him away and rose, wincing as his ribs scraped against each other. “Right, I can at least make _you_ happy, huh boy?” He dug through the kitchen cupboards and filled the dog bowl with a can of meat. Shin caught sight of the treats Noi always bought for Gura-Gura sitting on the counter and felt an ache in his chest, he tossed one on the floor for the dog’s dessert and headed for the shower. 

Shin shucked his clothes as he crossed his bedroom and pushed open the bathroom door. He waited on the shower heating up as he turned the temperature to max and caught sight of Noi’s toothbrush sitting beside his in the little cup. Since they stayed over at each other’s apartments at least once a week, a few things had carried over from every sleepover. Shin inhaled deeply, letting the pain distract him and stepped into the shower. 

The scalding water washed over his sore muscles and he braced his arms on the walls, letting the heat run down his back. _“At least in here, I can’t figure out if I’m crying or not.”_

He scrubbed at his face and reached for a bottle of shower gel, only to find that he had picked up Noi’s one. 

“Fuck!”

Noi lay on her couch, listless. Her chest had finally healed; for some reason it felt like her smoke wasn't as effective when she was upset. She thought about turning on the TV but couldn’t bring herself to grab the remote that was just out of reach on the table. Her stomach growled but Noi’s appetite was nonexistent for once. She hated feeling helpless and draped an arm over her face. _“I can’t stand this waiting, hell I don’t even know if Shin has left town already.”_

A quiet knock at Noi's door had her freezing, only one person knocked like that; three solemn raps against the wood. It was Shin. 

Her heart began racing in her chest as Noi warily rose from the sofa, approaching the door cautiously. 

She opened the door and found herself face to face with her partner, whose expression was currently reminding Noi of a kicked puppy. 

Shin's messy blond hair was damp and the buttons on his rumpled shirt were done up skewed. "Noi…" His voice was so gentle that Noi closed her eyes upon hearing it and sighed. 

Silently shifting to the side, she let Shin inside who quietly locked the door behind himself. They watched each other, carefully, as if expecting another fight. 

Noi gestured half heartedly at Shin. "Go ahead, say it. I know you want to break off our partnership because I _ruined_ it all- mmph!" 

He had strode forward and cupped Noi's face in his large hands, cutting off her words with a chaste kiss. Shin brushed away her tears with his thumbs and Noi saw that he was welling up too. He leaned his forehead against hers. "Noi, I'm _so_ sorry. I should have never spoken to you like that. If you want me gone then just say the word, Gura-Gura can stay with you and I'll be gone by morning." His deep voice rumbled as he gazed into her eyes. 

At first, Noi's face ignited in a slight pink flush which quickly darkened into an outraged blush. "Of course I don't want you to leave you fucking dumbass!" Shin seemed surprised at her outburst and opened his mouth but Noi spoke over him. "I should have asked you before kissing you like that, I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

Shin laughed wetly. "I'm the dumbass?! I just kissed _you!_ Of course I want you to do it again!"

Noi sagged in relief and decided to test the waters. "You call _that_ a kiss? You're gonna have to try harder than that, senpai."

He narrowed his eyes and fisted his hands in her hair, tugging her down towards him as he backed her against the wall. The kiss was bruising, full of anxiety and all encompassing _relief_ that things would be okay between the two of them. Noi gasped in delight at the rough treatment and clutched at Shin's waist, he took the opportunity to suck her bottom lip into his mouth and nibbled on it; mirroring what she had done earlier. Shin's hands roamed across Noi's body, tracing hot paths up her sides as he ate at her lips, moaning when she pulled his hair sharply. "That's better, Shin." She hissed against his mouth before leaving a trail of kisses across his jaw, nipping at the bone and making her way down to his neck, biting the skin into a red ruin. 

Shin shuddered and patted her side to get her attention. " _Ah,_ mm." He cried out when Noi swiped her tongue over the lovebites. "Noi, _fuck_ , can we slow down?" 

Noi pulled away, delighting in his red face and heaving breaths. _"Fuck, he's so hot."_

Smirking, she gathered him against her chest. "Of course, senpai, we have plenty of time. Don't we?" Noi sounded unsure and Shin was quick to reassure her. 

"We have all the time in the world, Noi." 

Noi crushed him in her arms and Shin swore in pain. "What is it, senpai?" 

Shin glared at her. "You broke my fucking ribs earlier, moron." 

She batted her eyes at him and pouted. "I guess you will have to convince me to heal you then~" 

"You're on!" 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!  
> Here are some notes for my rationale behind each segment, this is my first fanfiction after all.  
> 1\. This section had always started out as a silly combat situation that ended up with Shin straddling Noi.  
> 2\. There isn't much fanfic covering Shin and Noi's domestic life so I wanted to write about that! I also headcanon that Shin is an emotional drunk and Noi just gets sleepy. This has a dash of angst sprinkled over it which I hope works!  
> 3\. Personally, I think Noi had never had a serious injury until the Cross-Eye Boss fight and I wanted to extrapolate on my interpretation of how she would react to losing.  
> 4\. This started out as Noi asking Shin to dance and the plot built from there, there's technically more than one almost kiss in this section. I also wanted to theorise on how En amassed such a large following (by being a massive flirt)  
> 5\. This section was my partners idea! I'm unsure if the sorcerers world snows or not so I took some liberty with canon. We all forget that Shin's backstory is incredibly sad and fucked up so I wanted to touch on that.  
> +1. Starting with angst and ending with pure fluff, this section took the longed to find inspiration for but I hope it was worthwhile!


End file.
